Does the smart meter in the apartment support tiered electricity pricing?

Smart electricity meters in apartments generally support tiered electricity pricing, but the specific implementation needs to be comprehensively judged based on the selection of meter functions, apartment electricity management models, and local electricity pricing policies. The following provides a detailed explanation from three dimensions: technical feasibility, scenario differences, and implementation conditions:

1、 Technical aspect: Mainstream smart meters have the capability of tiered billing

The smart meters designed specifically for apartment scenarios in the current market, especially the multi rate series products, have all achieved the core function of tiered electricity pricing and fully meet policy requirements technically

- Graded measurement and pricing : The electricity meter can preset 3 or more tiered levels, each corresponding to an independent electricity price, and supports settlement periods divided by year, quarter, or month. For example, the annual tiered standard for residents in a certain area is "0.538 yuan/degree within 2760 degrees, 0.588 yuan/degree between 2761-4800 degrees, and 0.838 yuan/degree above 4800 degrees". The electricity meter can automatically calculate the cumulative electricity consumption and match it with the corresponding electricity price to calculate the cost.

- Dynamic adaptation policy adjustment : Through communication modules such as 4G and NB IoT, electricity meters can be linked in real-time with the power grid cloud platform. When local tiered electricity pricing standards are updated (such as the "one household, multiple population" tiered adjustment policy implemented in Sichuan in 2025), parameters can be remotely synchronized and updated without on-site debugging.

- Combination billing compatibility : Supports a composite mode of "tiered electricity price+time of use electricity price", which first determines the tiered level based on the total electricity consumption, and then calculates the electricity consumption during peak, off peak, and off peak periods for each level separately (such as 0.65 yuan/kWh for peak electricity and 0.35 yuan/kWh for off peak electricity in the first level, and 0.70 yuan/kWh for peak electricity and 0.40 yuan/kWh for off peak electricity in the second level).

2、 Scenario difference: "One household, one table" and "combined table" determine the actual execution method

The implementation effect of tiered electricity pricing is not only determined by the functionality of the electricity meter, but also directly related to the electricity metering mode of the apartment, mainly divided into two scenarios:

 1. Independent residential apartments: strict implementation of tiered electricity pricing for residents

If the apartment is equipped with a "one household, one meter" configuration (each household installs a separate smart meter and directly connects to the power grid company), it will fully comply with the local residents' tiered electricity pricing policy:

-The electricity meter automatically accumulates the annual electricity consumption of each household, matches the ladder level in real time, and generates electricity bills. Tenants can view the "current ladder progress+incurred expenses" through the APP.

-Typical case: A tenant of an apartment in Changchun consumes 200 kWh of electricity per month, and the annual cumulative electricity consumption does not exceed 2040 kWh (the upper limit of the local first tier), charged at 0.525 yuan/kWh; If the neighbor accumulates 3200 degrees per year, the portion exceeding 3120 degrees will be priced at 0.825 yuan per degree.

 2. Joint Table Apartment: Need to implement "simulated staircase" through management system

Old apartments or centralized apartments often adopt the "main meter+sub meter" mode (multiple households share one power grid main meter, and each household installs indoor sub meters). In such scenarios:

-The power grid only implements a single pricing system for the main meter, and the tiered cost needs to be recalculated by the apartment operator through a sub meter system.

-Compliance implementation path: The operator can use an energy management platform (such as AcrelCloud-3200 system) to split the total meter electricity bill according to the proportion of sub meter electricity consumption, and then set internal billing rules based on local tiered standards - for example, sorting by household electricity consumption first, and allocating the "tiered markup portion" of the total meter electricity bill to high electricity consuming tenants to ensure compliance with the principle of "more use, more pay".

3、 Key premise: Accurate matching between meter selection and system configuration is required

To ensure the effective implementation of tiered electricity pricing, apartment owners need to meet two core conditions in equipment selection and management settings:

1.  Choose the right type of electricity meter function : It is necessary to clearly select the "multi rate tiered" smart meter to avoid mistakenly selecting ordinary products that only support single billing (such as the 9x series electricity meters commonly used in student apartments, which only have single rate metering function and do not support tiered division). When selecting, you can pay attention to indicators such as "rate level" and "settlement period setting" in the parameter table.

2.  Complete policy parameter configuration : After the installation of the electricity meter, the operator or grid personnel need to enter the local tiered rules, including the upper limit of electricity consumption for each level, corresponding electricity prices, settlement periods (annual/monthly), etc. For example, prepaid meters are usually settled on an annual basis, while postpaid meters can be settled on a monthly or quarterly basis.

Summary: Supports but requires "functional matching+pattern compliance"

In short, technically, apartment smart meters support 100% tiered electricity pricing, but whether they can be implemented according to the residential tiered policy depends on: ① whether the meter has a multi rate tiered function; ② Is the apartment under the "one household, one meter" direct supply mode; ③ Has the equipment completed the configuration of local electricity price parameters.

If you would like to further understand the step-by-step setting operation process of a certain brand of electricity meter, the specific plan for sharing the tiered cost of combined meter apartments, or the detailed implementation rules of tiered electricity prices for apartments in your area, you can provide relevant information and I will provide you with more accurate answers.